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August 15th. A day associated with flags, flag hoisting, and a general level of celebration.
So, what is so very special about this day ? What is it that we are celebrating ?
Freedom is an obvious answer – but freedom from what? Theoretically, it is freedom from the rule of the British Empire or Independence from the British Empire.
So what is it that Independence means – it means the right to run your own life. But, as we all know, as human beings, we can’t ever be totally free. There are too many bonds and obligations. We cannot do what ever we want, in any society that we live in. For example, you cannot run naked down your street without being arrested for obscenity. You cannot increase the size of your home without a zillion permissions. you cannot marry more than one person simultaneously. Infact, most of our lives are determined by all those things that we can’t do, rather than all the things that you can. All that we can do is live within a certain set of laws, rules, norms and regulations – that hopefully, allows you maximum flexibility in leading your life without too many constraints.
What does Independence or indeed Freedom mean to nations? The ability to be free of ‘outside’ interference. But, we live in an interconnected world. (Unless, of course you live in North Korea). The UN, theoretically, ensures ‘good’ political behavior; the World Bank ‘good’ financial behavior; the ITU ‘good’ telecommunications behavior and so on. Most nations cannot get away with murder – unless of course you are the USA led by George Bush or Pakistan under any leader.
So, I come back to my question – what is it that we are celebrating, and should we really be looking at how we define that day – so that in a modern world, it doesn’t just become another day marked by cards and revelry without any substance ?
Is it freedom that we ought to be celebrating or the Right to Self Determination
If it is the latter, then what happens if one part of the Nation wants the right to self determination by itself ? Should there be force used to keep this part back in the whole or should the people be given the chance to exercise their right to determine their future ?
Maybe we ought to be celebrating interdependence rather than independence. A day where most people in this country choose to be part of the whole rather than being part of various fragments. Where each part of that whole is important, is treated with dignity and respect. And, where the nation lives up to the promise of allowing us the freedom to be.
For me, freedom is the ability to live my life with a certain sense of security – economic, political, religious, legal – where I can live my life without interference or threat of interference; without braving bullets to get to work or to get home; where my little savings grow steadily without fear that it will disappear down some rabbit hatch; where food is not a luxury; where medical care is available for all, not just those who can afford it; Where learning is accessible and not forbidden; where i don’t get beaten up for breaking rules written a couple of thousand years ago …
For me, Independence Day actually means all these. And, i have benefited from most of the things that i have listed. I am lucky that I don’t live in a community with a Khap panchayat or a state where the Armed Forces Special Provisions Act is in force; – I am lucky that my home does not adjoin hills rich in minerals that are gifted away to prospectors; and I count my blessings that my desire for education was neither hampered by my gender, or religious rules, or societal norms or abject poverty. But, a large chunk of people who became free on the same day as I, do not enjoy those freedoms.
Maybe – we all collectively, rather than converting 15th August to a Hallmark card and a shopping discount day, ought to keep this day contemplative and work towards ensuring that Independence is not just a term.
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One of the parameters of development is girls going to school.
For me, there are few more uplifting sights than mothers taking their kids to school
Kishore Kumar was a genius. His repertoire varied. and his legacy phenomenal. He was perfectly at ease with all kinds of music
from the fun & frolic (my name is anthony gonsalves); to the melancholy (manzilen apni jagah hai); from the soft wooing numbers (ek ajnabi hasina se) to the boisterous declaration of intent (haal kya hai dilon ka na pucho sanam). He also was great at the rebel anthem – muqaddar ka sikandar – and the whimsical folksy philo number -which Mukesh did very well – like ruk jaana nahin …
There is another area of songs that Kishoreda excelled in, and that was the inebriated lover. I am not quite sure whether he imbibed or not, but the songs that he sang for the intoxicated lover were quite outstanding. Here in, no order of preference are my favorite Kishore da ‘drunken’ numbers
A) Yeh jo Mohabat Hai - no one sang for a wounded lover, better than Kishoreda. For some reason he managed the bitterness, the hurt and the ‘why me’ feeling better than most. Rafi sahaab’s drunken songs (hum bekhudi mein tum ko pukare) were more melanchonic, Kishore da’s more punchy
Here he is, in the film Kati Patang, drinking to the vagaries of a disloyal love. ‘mar jaye mit jaaye, ho jaaye badnaam’ sound incredibly personal.
B) My Name is Anthony Gonsalves – Kishore Da sings for the Big B. I can’t think of a more endearing drunk than Anthony Gonsalves. Remember the scene in the film, where Anthony after a punch up with Amar (Vinod Khanna) begins applying band aid on the mirror !
This is the song where Anthony chances upon Jenny (Parveen Babi) and promptly gets drunk. The song is a blast and an all time favorite.
The English gibberish ‘the hemoglobin of the atmosphere’ is rapped (before the term came into existence ) by Amitabh Bachchan.
C) Yeh Kya Huva - alcohol does not just get you drunk, it also leads to philosophical clarity (atleast in Hindi films) as is the case in Amar Prem. Kishore Da sings this for Rajesh Khanna who is trying to figure the who, where, when, what, why of life 
D) Salaam-e-Ishq meri jaan - alcohol doesn’t just make you melanchonic or philosophical, it also lowers your inhibitions. Here is a song from Muqadaar ka Sikandar – my favorite adaptation of Devdas. Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan setting the screen on fire with Salaam-e-Ishq
E) Jai Jai Shiv Shankar - Bhang is not alcohol – but its effects are similar. Loss of inhibition, boisterous behavior, and the belief you can ‘handle’ it. An emotion akin to that felt by idiots who get behind the wheel of a car and drive after one too many. Here is Kishore da (with Lata Mangeshkar) singing for a completely sloshed Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz in Aap ki Kasam
and of course, there is the Big B, after consuming bhang laced paan who has a blast in the old “Don”. Legend had it that Kishoreda, sang the first part of the song with paan in his mouth – whether it was laced with Bhaang or not is anyone’s guess.
F) Thodi si jo Peeli - When you are drunk, you do strange things like dance on tables (a friend has done that) or sing antakshari with Shiv Sena workers (me – or you do what AB does in Namak Halaal – tho’ in this song, if memory serves me right, he pretends to be drunk rather than being. But still a good inebriated song. Check for KK’s well timed hiccups
for me, this film was the best that Bappi Da has ever composed for – each song is a classic.
G) Hai Hai Hai Yeh Nighayen - In early Hindi films – 50′s and even 1960′s alcohol meant westernization – unless of course you were getting drunk on country liquor in a tawaif’s kota. It never happenend in a family, party scenario. Here is one of the early Kishore numbers picturised on Dev Anand – who actually didn’t need alcohol to be wobbly – The film is Paying Guest
H) Khulam Khula Pyaar Karenge Hum Dono – Alcohol, in Hindi films, is also a pheromone, that brings about strange behavior in those who imbibe it. Such as the desire to make out on a public road in the hill stations. Here are Kishore Da and Asha Bhonsle singing for Rishi Kapoor & Neetu Singh – in Khel Khel Mein.
I) Badi Sooni Sooni Hai - the single drink is a dangerous thing, especially when you are depressed or alone. It accentuates the feeling and pushes you to the second, and the third and so on…. As exhibited by AB in Mili. There is no one more alone than AB in this film – his father murdered his mother when he was a kid, and the neighbours can’t stop talking about him. His salvation is Mili (Jaya B) – classic Mills & Boon plot with a great dose of sentimentality. There is one more first here – AB acted in a chick flic before the term came into existence.
J) Chingari Koi Badke - Alcohol disperses all illusions and makes the world a clearer place – atleast until you stay drunk. The film is Amar Prem, and Kishore Kumar sings for Rajesh Khanna – who is in a permanent state of alcohol induced philosopher mode. One of my favorite songs of all times.
Do add your favorites to this list.
Also check out last year’s list – Classical Kishore - Kishore da singing songs based on classical ragas.
Sphere: Related ContentWas at the dentist yesterday. To have extracted a molar in the lower jaw that had been killed by the wisdom that grew in a strange way.
The dentist took out a particularly mean looking instrument.
“what is that”, i mumbled – the jaw and lips numb & heavy with local anesthetic.
“a bone cutter’, replied the dentist – without missing a beat.
He then smiled and said “don’t ask me any questions”
after that, I didn’t.
Am I the only one with visions of Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman in the Marathon Man – when sitting in a dentist’s chair, I wonder !
Sphere: Related Content…. this morning.
It was a normal Friday morning. Got up bright and early to get to college. Finished lectures. Began driving from Sophia College to Bandra.
Just as soon as you get out of the main gate at Sophia, you drive down a narrow winding road to get to Warden Road – then Worli, then Bandra. Usually it is fairly smooth driving.
When i got to the end of the narrow road, the road had narrowed to 1.5 lanes. there were trucks parked on the right of the road – construction trucks – that were brining building material. Some of the old bunglows on this road are making way for high rises.
There was a signal, a few cars ahead of me, and I was waiting for the lights to turn to green. In the side view mirror I saw a truck rolling back. There was no place to move. The only place to go was ahead, and there were vehicles there. I pulled the hand brake. And waited.
Crunch. I heard glass go crunch. Trust me, it is a scary audio effect. The video was worse. A few tons coming down slowly against your car. And suddenly it stopped rolling. Someone had obviously pulled the hand brake on the truck. I could hear my heart thumping, my hands shaking and my brain slightly off kilter.
The lights changed to green. I moved out. Turned onto Warden Road, pulled over and checked for damage. The body of my car is fine but for a dent. The rear lights on the drivers side, and the tiny window on the rear were shattered. The truck was coming down at an angle -would have probably hit the driver. Was terribly lucky.
The shakes came later. I drove for a bit. pulled over at worli sea face and sat in the car for around 20 minutes till i came back to normal. Then i drove home to leave the car and get to work !
Sometimes, it doesn’t help just being a good driver, or even a safe one. It’s also a matter of luck…. Today I got lucky.
p.s. it is a good job that the Tata’s build their cars like tanks. the Indigo Marina (that i drive) is a battle vehicle. we should possibly send it to the front !
shooting in Madh is always interesting. And, much as I like shooting photos of cast and crew, it is the neighbourhood that fascinates me.
Madh,in addition to having shooting locations, is also the home to small fishing villages ,who possibly look at all of us in the media doing silly things, scratch their heads and say ‘these people must be crazy’
Last month – on an overcast day -when everytime i said roll the clouds burst – we shot at Grafiti house – Madh with Sonali Kulkarni, for the show Art Beat.
This is one of the clicks from there.very over exposed – but i like the whites and the hint of a human … sometimes flawed photos really strike a chord !
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One of the things that I do love about the monsoons, is the way my little window garden comes alive …
I do love shooting raindrops … here is one I shot last year (or was it year before), from inside the car … This monsoons, since I am driving, I have stopped carrying a camera. Can’t afford to get distracted while driving, and like taking pics too much to not pull out a camera at a signal
This year the monsoons have been decent. But, the roads — less said about them the better. The BMC, if it was writing exams, would be repeating a year. On second thoughts, if it means putting up with this inefficiency for one more year, maybe it may be better to pass them !!
Sphere: Related ContentToday is Bharat Bandh…. at least Mumbai Bandh. The road outside my house is deserted. All the building kids are out playing football. There isn’t a rick to be seen. Buses are few & far between …. And, I have nothing better to do than catch up on reading.
Amongst the old headlines that I read, in my poor inflated google reader, was one that struck me as being the panacea to all problems. It was, of course, my favorite body – the Khap Panchayat – coming out with another gem. They advocate the lowering of marriage age – from 18 to 15 for girls – to prevent elopement and therefore honour killings!
Om Prakash Mann, Haryana president of All India Jat Mahasabha, said.
“By lowering the legal age of marriage, young couples can be prevented from eloping. A girl brings shame to her family when she runs away. Parents kill the guilty children in a fit of rage,” he said.
My first response was WTF, and my second was ‘what a brilliant idea’ – if we take this kind of thinking to its logical end, think of all the social problems that we can solve. I have jotted down a few, please feel free to add your thoughts to this
- Rape – Men Rape. If men are castrated (chemically, we don’t want to cause the poor dears any pain) they can’t rape. So castrating all men – whether or not they are potential rapists will prevent rape.
- Widow remarriage is against our custom. If we didn’t get married, we won’t get widowed/widowered … abolishing marriage, therefore, will prevent widows. and therefore prevent the socially delicate problem of widow remarriage.
- Female Foeticide - If men are castrated, and marriage is banned, then there can be no children and therefore no female foeticide
- Dowry – if there are no girls there should be no dowry. But, to be on the safe side, let’s ban all goods and services. And, while we are at it – let’s ban money.
- Pollution – Industries cause pollution. Get rid of industries then most pollution will disappear. Also, since industries produce goods, and people ask for goods as dowry – banning industry will also stop dowry …
finally, even if there are only one boy and one girl from the Jat community renaming after all our strictures are followed, we will still oppose intercaste marriage — because it is against our culture
And finally, to all my friends who were embarrassed by the Maulvi’s and their idiot fatwas, don’t worry the Hindus have caught up
A few days ago, I read that Jose Saramago had died.
I first came across Saramago’s works nearly 20 years ago, when I chanced upon a copy of “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ”. It was a fascinating and thought provoking book. It was the first time that i read some thing that could be considered ‘blasphemous‘, though it wasn’t the last. Though, at the time I read it, I neither realised the extent of blasphemy nor the price the author had to pay for expressing it.
The Jesus that Saramago wrote about, was deeply human and terribly vulnerable. He wanted the things that everyone else wanted- peace, security, happiness, a partner, and children. However, divine chess between God and the Devil, ensured that he was martyred. Funnily enough, the Devil in the book, comes across as far more sympathetic than God. The God in this book is much more like Indra than like Ram, manipulative rather than beatific.
The next book that I read was Blindness. I reacted to it the same way that I reacted to Lord of the Flies – with a certain kind of nauseated fascination. While theoretically one knows that ‘culture’ and ‘civilization’ are not even skin deep – it is the rapidity and brutality with which it unravels in both stories that disturbed me. It is almost as though morality and conscience are cloaks that we wear, without really internalizing either.
I bought seeing a few years ago, and i have to confess that i still have to read it. Somehow reading Saramago requires a lot of attention and concentration – and the last few years have left me empty of both.
Saramago, has one of the most interesting narrative styles that I have ever read. It is long sentences, with very few full stops. I line is possibly a page:) often sections seem like the inner ramblings of a lead character – but, it is difficult to say, since there are no ” ” marks .
Saramago introduced me an entire range of writers who were writing in Portuguese and Spanish – including Isabella Allende, Marquez, Paz, Llosa – and my life and views are better for that!
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